1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular, to a method and apparatus for processing data. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for transmitting accessibility information from a client to a server.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. A user may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by a domain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates the symbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database.
The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and business use the Web to purchase various goods and services. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach.
Users exploring the Web have discovered that the content supported by the HTML document format on the Web was too limited. Users desire an ability to access applications and programs, but applications were targeted towards specific types of platforms. As a result, not everyone could access applications or programs. This deficiency has been minimized though the introduction and use of programs known as “applets”, which may be embedded as objects in HTML documents on the Web. Applets are Java programs that may be transparently downloaded into a browser supporting Java along with HTML pages in which they appear. These Java programs are network and platform independent. Applets run the same way regardless of where they originate or what data processing system onto which they are loaded.
Java servlets and Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) are Java programs that are run on a server. These programs are generally accessed by clients via a Web browser. Typically, when servlets and EJBs generate or format information, the usability needs of a client user should be honored.
For example, if a user is blind, the user's client computer is typically speech enabled. If the user has a slight vision impairment, the user may configure the operating system to use large fonts or certain types of contrasts to increase the readability of text. Currently, such accessibility information is available only at the operating system level of the client computer.
Currently, a user must be explicitly asked or prompted for accessibility needs before a web server can generate and send content to the user. For example, the user may be presented with a form or pop-up window in which the user may select accessibility options. This information is then transmitted back to the Web server. Such a system, however, requires active user input. Further, in some cases the user may be unable to view the form depending on the particular accessibility requirements. This type of system is burdensome and requires user attention.
As a result, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for transmitting accessibility information from a client to a server for use in providing the appropriate formatting of documents.